Seeking some guidance on the Oil Filter Head on a US Spec Series 2 OTS 4.2 litre, circa 1970. The owner dismantled the car several years ago and now I am helping on the engine re-build. I am used to my Series 1 4.2 Oil Filter Head and Oil Filter canister, but this US spec housing is much larger and appears to have two external concentric sealing areas. Also on the internal gasket sealing profile this is a different shape to my Series I Filter Head.

Does this housing use a much larger Filter canister than the Series 1, or does the "standard" filter and canister still fit into the inner recess ? If so what is the purpose of the external larger diameter recess, is this due to some form of emission control system fitted elsewhere ?

Just wanted to know what parts we need to be looking for.

Many thanks in advance.
regards,
Dave

Last edited by 44DHR on Wed May 02, 2018 10:31 am, edited 5 times in total.

That looks like an XJ6 filter housing. If the diameter is about 5 inches/125mm then I would be certain about it.They are perfectly usable on an E but are very messy to change because there is not much side clearance between the block and the frames

Hi Chris,
I wasn't so sure if this was a XJ6 spin off type Filter head as I have one of these as below which came off a Series 3 XJ6 which had the Oil Cooler outlets coming out of the top and clearly shows the sealing surface for a later modern Spin Off Filter.

The one we believe came from the Series 2 US Spec OTS doesn't have the mating surface for a Spin off oil filter within the four mounting bolt holes and the outer diameter is much bigger - hence the call for guidance.

regards,

Dave

Last edited by 44DHR on Wed May 02, 2018 10:35 am, edited 2 times in total.

Dave : because of the diameter I am certain the large one is from an XJ c.1972/3 . If you want to use the large head but are missing the externals , I have the drum and fixings which go with it . It is a paper internal filter rather than a screw on type . You are welcome to it for the cost of postage, but the screw on type are much better ! If I may offer advice, whichever you use, make sure that you get the correct gasket for the particular head/block combination - a friend of mine wrecked the bottom end of his new rebuild because the wrong gasket was fitted

Thanks for the super quick response. I am a bit clearer now thanks ! So there is a different larger filter system on the earlier XJ6 which involves the drum and paper filter you mention. I was unaware of this, but makes sense looking at this filter head with the sealing surface diameter outside the 4 mounting holes.

Many thanks for the offer of this larger drum, but although I will run this past my friend, I agree with you that this would be both non-standard and a bit of a pain with clearance. Being an ex-US car he has obtained, I would assume that a previous owner has fitted this later "modification" and I would suggest he looks for an earlier Series 1 filter head and canister which I assume would have been the "standard" fitment on these Series 2.

This is a spare Series 1 Oil FIlter Head that I also have - and now he will be badgering me for it ! - and the sealing surface of the Oil Filter can thin profile seal option, (rather than the other thicker seal also supplied with the filter), within the four mounting holes can be seen. I agree with you about the different gasket profiles and have heard about this before. I attach the photos of the Series 1 Oil Filter Head for others information and to compare these three different gaskets.

Many thanks again and hopefully this will be of use to others.
regards,
Dave

Last edited by 44DHR on Wed May 02, 2018 10:37 am, edited 2 times in total.

The part was used on the S2 XJ (subframe under engine, wider shorter canister, too fat for the E space( and S2 E-type (narrower canister too long for the XJ inner wing and chassis rail). By S3 XJ (and possibly late S2 XJ) they were using the spin-on block that fits both cars - although the E was history by then - with or without machined bosses for an oil cooler. As Chris says, use the right block gasket.

That filter housing you have is 100% factory correct for your e type. USA & UK were the same. Notice it has 2 rings, the outer larger is for the larger diameter XJ filter and the inner smaller diameter is for an E type S2 filter. All you need is a S2 canister which differs slightly to a S1 and the bolt which is longer and has a different thread to a S1 bolt.
Regards Mike.

Sorry Im a little late here, just found this post searching for some info.

I hope u are not using that filter head! Its missing a pressure relief valve allowing oil to flow around the filter and not thru it!

That opening near the top of your photo has some marks around the border. These are punch marks that hold a valve in there to hold back oil. If the filter were to clog it would open up and let oil flow. With it missing, oil is flowing thru there back to the engine with out going thru the filter.

I have one of these and the valve wont stay in place. Finding a new unit isnt easy so far.

Rod,
Many thanks for confirming this.
There was a separate post after mine in the "Technical" Thread called "Loose valve in oil filter head" and I saw that missing valve in question.
I have told the owner of the Series 2 that I am helping with about this and he confirmed that he had the valve and was aware it had to be re-staked back into the housing.
Many thanks again as this all adds to our knowledge.
Regards,
Dave

I realize this is an old post but have not been able to find a discussion similar to my issue. As purchased, my 1970 S2 E-type had just an oil filter element in the filter canister. No spring, washers, plates, etc. My engine number is post 7R2298, so I purchased all of those parts as detailed on the SNG Barratt web site. Upon assembly with the JLM9544 filter element they provided, I noted the element had a inner bore of 1.375" sliding over a 1.0" nipple on the filter head. Thinking this is not a good sealing fit for forcing the oil through the filter, I made a plate similar to that shown for the filter assembly prior to engines 7R2298. Unfortunately, the through bolt is tight before the canister seals at the filter head and the element was starting to crush. Obviously, the inner plate doesn't belong. Is the loose fit of element to nipple then correct?

The pictures in the original post are the same as on my Series 2 4.2 litre engine. My head has a clamping plate pleaned to it that supports the filter element against the spring. There is no relief valve in my head and I was led to believe that engines after 7R2298/7R35583 don't require one. The canister and bolt are different from earlier units, but fit to the inner seal ring.
I wish we could get a definitive description of the various oil filter systems from the gatekeeper of such things!